Absolutely Not, Absolutely Not

"Mimi, don't say I'm hiding things from you. Come with me to pick someone up."

Da Mimi was speechless. "You mean have me carry your bags and run errands, right?"

These past few days, she had truly witnessed how inhuman Shen Shanden could be when he was working.

Zhou Qifeng was running around non-stop, visiting China Film, Beijing Film Academy, and major universities. He was practically nowhere to be seen.

Shen Shanden said, "Forget it. I originally thought you were quite suitable for the female lead."

"Yes, Brother Shen, Brother Deng, we'll leave right away." Da Mimi surrendered on the spot without a second thought.

Shen Shanden frowned. "What should you call me?"

"Yes, Officer!" Da Mimi barely suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. What kind of sick pleasure was this?

Shen Shanden's second-hand Accord was given to Zhou Qifeng. A silver-gray Buick GL8 was rented under the film crew's name.

Save where necessary, spend where needed.

A production budget of ten million was considered mid-to-high tier at the time. Business reception couldn't be too shabby.

To show his importance, Shen Shanden drove himself, with Da Mimi in the passenger seat.

Shen Shanden's driving skills were good, exuding a sense of casual control. He habitually held the steering wheel with one hand, resting the other on the gear stick.

He didn't forget to have some fun.

"Xiao Yang, as my woman, what's the most important thing?"

Da Mimi opened her mouth several times before finally choosing to compromise. "It's obedience!"

Shen Shanden: "Obedience to whom?"

Da Mimi: "Obey you, Officer! Do housework, dedicate myself wholeheartedly; wash dishes, serve at your beck and call; the air conditioning temperature, as you wish! The toilet seat? It will always stand at attention before you, Officer!"

Shen Shanden nodded with satisfaction. "Good! Keep it up! Soldier!"

Da Mimi looked out the window, her eyes about to roll out of her head.

They picked up Wu Jing, and it was almost six o'clock.

The noise of the Capital Airport arrival hall, mixed with announcements, washed over them.

Shen Shanden's sharp gaze scanned the crowd.

He quickly locked onto two familiar figures: one was Ma Youde, and the other was a young Wu Jing.

He was carrying a travel bag, looking around somewhat bewildered.

"Brother Jing! Over here!"

Shen Shanden shouted, quickening his pace, almost jogging to meet him and help Wu Jing with his luggage.

Da Mimi, following behind, secretly curled her lips. His ability to change his demeanor was faster than flipping a book.

"Director Shen! You're too kind, too kind!"

Wu Jing, confirming it was Shen Shanden, quickly waved his hands, trying to hide his luggage behind him.

Ma Youde hurried to say, "Boss, let me, let me."

Shen Shanden insisted on carrying Wu Jing's bag. "Brother Jing, don't call me Director Shen, just call me Xiao Shen. Don't say anything, your arrival is like timely rain for this brother."

"I'm not just carrying this bag for you, but for the future of our domestic action films, for the future of Chinese cinema. Your arrival is also support for Director Han's work."

Wu Jing was flustered by Shen Shanden's enthusiasm and flattery, only able to express his thanks repeatedly.

A wave of emotion surged through him. Even if it was an act, it was a level of respect he hadn't experienced in years.

The warmth in his heart and the long-lost feeling of being valued grew stronger.

A scholar dies for his confidant. Wu Jing made up his mind to contribute to Shen Shanden's film.

The group walked towards the parking lot.

Shen Shanden opened the car door and gestured for Wu Jing to sit in the spacious and comfortable second row. "Brother Wu, please take the honored seat! Da Mimi, you go to the passenger seat."

He personally accompanied Wu Jing, letting Ma Youde drive.

Shen Shanden suggested, "Brother Jing, let's eat something first. We have food prepared at home. If we get caught in the evening rush hour, we'll probably get back around eight or nine."

"No, no, Brother Shen, I'm really not hungry. I ate on the plane," Wu Jing quickly replied. "Brother Shen, don't be so formal, you can call me Ajing or Jingzai."

"How about this, shall I call you Brother Wu?" Shen Shanden could see that Jingzi was quite honest.

Wu Jing said, "That would be excellent."

Da Mimi watched from the side, wanting to speak but holding back.

This rookie, Wu Jing, was probably not going to escape his clutches.

Shen Shanden was too good at deceiving people; he had everyone around him completely under his control.

Without wasting any time, on the way, Shen Shanden started discussing the The Grand Director project with Wu Jing.

"Because of an article, I caught the Director's eye, and he's preparing to hear my young comrade's opinion."

Wu Jing asked, "Is it Third Master Han?"

"Mm-hmm." Shen Shanden nodded lightly.

Wu Jing was secretly shocked.

Shen Shanden continued, "When I explained the difficulties, all three major directors were silenced. Directors from Hong Kong and Taiwan couldn't capture the grandeur of history. Historical epics were in crisis, action movies were in crisis, and Chinese cinema was in crisis!"

"The Director felt the same way. It was time for a change, so he asked me about the Brotherhood of Blades project I was preparing. A budget of 100 million. I introduced it as a historical epic that closely followed Chinese history and embedded the soul of China."

"At that time, the Director expressed his full support."

This was the first time Da Mimi had heard these details. She felt the process was just like a TV drama?

Why would someone like Han Sanping meet with Shen Shanden?

And why did he attach so much importance to it after meeting him?

The key details were missing.

Wu Jing was deeply shocked again. If this was true, then it was incredible.

"But Brotherhood of Blades seems to have been shelved?" Wu Jing asked curiously, his tone laced with a hint of inquiry.

Shen Shanden was too eloquent. Wu Jing, having been through the wringer himself, began to doubt the project's authenticity.

Shen Shanden's tone became indignant, "Because there are bad people in China Film, and bad people in Beijing Film Studio. A bunch of incompetent good-for-nothings who don't do anything themselves and can't stand to see others do things."

"It's because of these people that someone like Brother Wu, who has martial arts skills, acting talent, and good looks, has to leave his homeland."

Wu Jing couldn't help but sigh. Shen Shanden's words struck a chord with him.

Who would want to be under someone else's roof if they had a choice?

Shen Shanden talked about the project, which was the key. It would determine if Wu Jing could truly settle down and give his all. "Under the obstruction of these people, the Director bore immense pressure. I felt I couldn't add to the Director's worries, so I voluntarily shelved the project."

"Fortunately, I still have another script. It was born from the creation of Brotherhood of Blades. From the perspective of institutional design, it tells the story of a eunuch, and it can also be considered a preparation for Brotherhood of Blades. That is The Grand Director."

Knowing there was a project, Wu Jing breathed a sigh of relief. "Brother Shen, in the letter you gave me, you mentioned different directions for action movies?"

Shen Shanden took out the storyboards he had prepared long ago. "I believe House of Flying Daggers led Chinese kung fu astray. The direction Chinese kung fu should take is the Chinese martial arts philosophy of 'The greatest heroes serve the country and its people'."

"In terms of action design, it should incorporate Eastern martial arts routines, absorb Hollywood's experience, and at the same time, not make the action actors risk their lives."

"I don't agree with the idea that 'the play is bigger than the sky.' Hard work is work, but treating people like objects is not work; it's harming them."

"We can use materials science, mechanics, mechanical design, etc., to empower props and action design, calculate the impact of attacks, and improve the realism of special effects."

"Combine engineering knowledge with the practical experience of action actors and stuntmen, and then with post-production special effects."

"We must acknowledge the current situation. Our special effects are currently very weak. Let's do the former well first."

"Like in Mission: Impossible, Tom Cruise's action scenes are also very bold, but he expends less energy and suffers less physical damage than Jackie Chan. This is a direction we should learn from."

"We have excellent action techniques and rich martial arts heritage. As long as we focus, we can do even better."

Wu Jing felt a sense of shame, a shame stemming from his lack of education.

The direction Shen Shanden provided was something he had never considered before.

He had always thought that Hong Kong Island was the last sanctuary for kung fu movies, but today his understanding was refreshed.

Shen Shanden said, "Besides that, I think the most important thing is to leverage our unique strengths and continue down the path of kung fu."

"To delve deeper and solidify it, one important direction is to make the combat power of martial arts conceptual and tiered, with clearer cultivation steps and more defined combat power divisions."

Hearing this, Wu Jing involuntarily took out his notebook.

Ma Youde, who was driving, glanced at the rearview mirror and nodded secretly.

It seemed Wu Jing had also discovered his boss's greatness. This person was not simple!

Wu Jing asked curiously, "How should this be explained?"

Shen Shanden said, "In The Grand Director, I have already designed a profession table divided into five major realms."

"'Jianghu Expert': Sensing Qi, Condensing Qi, Strengthening Qi. Sensing internal Qi, then condensing it, and then strengthening it."

"'Third-rate Figure': After strengthening internal Qi, opening up the Twelve Main Meridians marks the beginning of cultivation. Then, continuously opening up the Twelve Main Meridians. Opening all of them signifies the peak of the third-rate, half-step second-rate."

"'Second-rate Master': Opening up the Eight Extraordinary Meridians makes one a second-rate master. Continuously opening up the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, and forming a dual heavenly cycle with the main and extraordinary meridians fully opened, makes one a half-step first-rate, quasi-first-rate."

"'Current First-rate': Unblocking the Ren and Du Meridians, and connecting the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Twelve Main Meridians to achieve the Great Heavenly Cycle, making one a first-rate master of the current era."

"'Grandmaster': A legendary existence who has comprehended 'Intent' beyond 'Qi'."

Shen Shanden was describing the development direction of martial arts novels in later generations.

Early martial arts novels did not have clear level divisions. In the future, if there were no level divisions, readers would not read them.

This fully demonstrated that this direction was progress.

It should be this way; to put it broadly, it was a further refinement of martial arts rules.

Shen Shanden asked, "Brother Wu, do you know dnd?"

Wu Jing shook his head.

Shen Shanden said, "It's Dungeons & Dragons. The rulebooks are designed very interestingly, you can take a look. We are refining the rules of martial arts and kung fu."

"Of course, this is not the key yet. The most important thing is how to present it clearly and understandably."

"Brother Wu, have you seen The Terminator?"

Wu Jing nodded. "I was shocked, amazed. Schwarzenegger's mechanical skeleton startled me."

"Me too. I still remember the shock of seeing it for the first time."

Shen Shanden said, "I think this is the direction for martial arts films, not slow motion, but towards realism. We'll show 'internal energy,' or 'qi,' similar to the T-800's internal skeleton."

"Let the audience feel that same sense of shock from our wuxia films. I think, we saw The Terminator, were shocked, and became interested in sci-fi."

"We should also use Chinese cinema to make audiences interested in wuxia, in the spirit of chivalry, in our culture."

Wu Jing briefly imagined the scene Shen Shanden described, his breathing becoming heavy.

He arrived home a little after eight.

The car finally turned onto Xueyuan Road, heading towards Jinxiu Zhichun Residential Area.

Zhou Qifeng bought groceries just in time, and they were still hot when he ate.

Wu Jing drank quite a bit. Shen Shanden found his alcohol tolerance to be terrifying.

"Brother Shen, I heard our crew has a limited budget. After hearing you speak, I finally understand what making a movie is all about. I don't even want my salary anymore. I've saved some over the years, I'll invest a million."

Wu Jing was preparing to use his wife's dowry money.

Da Mimi kicked Shen Shanden under the table. She couldn't stand it anymore.

Shen Shanden's expression changed slightly. No, is the young Wolf Warrior really this honest?

Even though the possibility of losing money was slim, if they did lose, Shen Shanden felt he would be heading further down a path of inhumanity.

He refused repeatedly.

"No, no, you mustn't."

Rewriting is too difficult. I'm dropping fast on the new book charts. It's delayed me by twenty days. I'll keep pushing.

I will gradually remove chapters related to my previous works to avoid affecting new readers.